The Lion's Heart
by HunterLavellan22
Summary: Cullen spends his nights drinking with the Inquisitor and her companions. Accompanied with a tad bit of humor, he tucks her in after a long night of drinking, and she surprises him with a visit the next day.


She made him feel young again. It had been years since he felt so lively and open.

They had weekly games of Wicked Grace with Iron Bull and Varric. Always staying past the time they normally should. Sometimes the Chargers would join in, and that's when the party really picked up. Now and then, Sera would come down from her room and complain about the noise. Once she realized who was there, she would laugh and join the game saying, "Well, since I'm here, yeah?"

But there she would be, his heart. Always sitting next to him. He would gently rest his hand on her leg. She would lean toward him slightly and smile, before sitting back upright again. It wouldn't take long for Varric to notice and loudly proclaim, "Hands above the table, Curly."

They normally weren't so open about their relationship in public. She was the Inquisitor after all. And he was the Commander. But it didn't take long for word to spread, especially through the barracks. At first, he was embarrassed by it all, as he wanted to keep his private life private. After some long talks with the Inquisitor who didn't want to hide the feelings they had for him, he slowly opened up.

It wasn't much at first. Just walks through the garden together. Then it slowly bloomed into hand-holding while walking the ramparts. And before long, they were flirting in public and barely being able to keep their hands off each other. They even met regularly to look out onto the mountains, though that quickly just turned into them meeting to kiss.

He had never felt anything like this before. She brought out the best in him, and all he wanted was to show her off. He often wondered what he had done to deserve her. She was dominate when needed to be, but with him, she was soft and loving. Her hands that directed arrows for killing blows were somehow also used to tangle his hair in on those intimate nights. Her voice was assertive and forceful when in battle, but so soft-spoken when he was around.

Those game nights slowly turned into the Inquisitor's inner circle just getting together to drink. After rough missions, they would be seen heading to the tavern. He joined them when they did, and would wrap his arm around her while she leaned against him and told him of what happened. He hated having to stay back while she risked her life for all of Thedas. He wanted to be right by her side, at all times.

After a particularly difficult mission, she had drunk more than usual and passed out on the chair she was sitting in. He took off his heavy fur coat off and wrapped her in it. Picking her up like a small child, she curled up in his arms. He walked through the empty throne room, up the stairs, and opened the door to her room. There was another set of staircases until he finally reached her room. Once reaching her bed, he gently laid her down. Not wanting to wake her, he kept his fur coat wrapped around her. He silently lifted her blanket and also laid that on top of her before leaving. Pressing his lips to hers, he whispered, "Goodnight, my love."

He woke up early the next morning and looked out his window. He saw her strutting through the courtyard with his fur coat still wrapped around her. She was clearly heading for his room. As she walked by, he saw many people raise their hands to their mouths and say something to the person standing next to them. It was clearly the Commander's coat, he knew everyone could tell that.

Meeting her at the door he holds in a laugh and says, "You sure love giving people something to talk about, don't you?" A light blush formed across his face and his scar stood out as he smiled.

"Who? Me?" she joked before lifting her head and letting her lips meet his. She slowly pushed him into his room, and slammed the door behind her with her foot.

This is what he loved about her. She didn't care what others thought. And slowly, he didn't either.


End file.
